House explosion in Maryland kills one, damages nearby homes

Firefighters were dispatched at 6:40 a.m. due to a reported gas leak and odor, said Oliver Alkire, a master deputy with the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

“As firefighters were en route, they began receiving reports that the house had exploded,” Alkire said, according to a report by AP.

Upon arrival, they found one person dead at the scene. A nearby house was heavily damaged, and a woman there was treated for injuries. One utility worker present was also injured.

Two utility workers were on site for an electrical issue, but it is not yet clear if this was connected to the explosion.

Authorities are investigating the extent of the damage and the blast radius. Despite the destruction, they have assured the public there is no ongoing threat.

Crew workers remove the debris after a house exploded in Bel Air, Md. neighborhood on Sunday. (AP)

“This is one of the largest explosions I’ve seen in nearly 18 years on the job,” Alkire said, according to AP. He said that investigators will thoroughly document the damage to surrounding properties.

Charred debris and wood were scattered across the property and into the street. Emergency workers were later seen using heavy equipment to search through the rubble.

Alkire mentioned that the house that exploded was for sale, but it was not clear if it was occupied.

Lisa Czawlytko, a local resident, described the impact of the explosion, saying, “The whole building shook like a major earthquake,” according to AP.

Czawlytko reported that the blast woke her and her three children, knocking a pet bird to the ground, and caused damage to the roof structure of nearby condominiums.

The explosion’s force was so great that it shook Greg Clifford’s townhouse, about a block away. “It just shook the whole thing,” he recalled.

Clifford’s home suffered damage, including a window pulled from its frame and a basement door blown inward, with the glass surprisingly unshattered but the frame cracked. Authorities continue to probe the explosion’s cause and assess the damage, AP reported.